Honorable Mention: Georgous George

[Corrie Sanders Fan]

Sometime during the 1950s, Gorgeous George shouted on a local radio
station, "I'm the greatest wrestler in the world!"

This statement left a strong impression on young Cassius Clay:
'I saw 15,000 people comin' to see this man get beat. And his talking
did it. I said, 'This is a gooood idea!'"

In the locker room afterwards, the seasoned wrestler gave the future
legend some invaluable advice:

"A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth. So keep on
bragging, keep on sassing and always be outrageous."

The rest is history...

So the next time you hear "Money" Mayeather, or David Haye, or RJJ,
etc...

...think about Gorgeous George.

Give credit to Gorgeous George.

Source: wiki

[ddc...@yahoo.com]

On Dec 31 2009, 7:48 pm, Corrie Sanders Fan

Gorgeous George and George "The Animal" Steele =
the two GOAT by a nuclear mile.

[D. Flynn]

On Dec 31 2009, 7:48 pm, Corrie Sanders Fan
<simplethings2...@gmail.com> wrote:

Why would I give credit to anyone for pioneering trash talk- something
that used to be considered poor sportsmanship?

George wasn't even the first one; Jack Johnson and others came before
him.

Still, at least the trash talk from wrestlers is good-natured,
something I can't say about Ali calling his darker skinned opponents
gorillas, baboons and Uncle Toms.

[ne...@millions.com]

On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 17:48:24 -0800 (PST), "D. Flynn" <gu...@msn.com>
wrote:

Mr. Flynn, therein lies the truth of your statement. "Gorgeous George"
Wagner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wagner) was a favorite on
early TV wrestling shows..He was a fair-to-middlin' wrestler; however,
performing in extravagant behavior and a well developed entertaining
persona, he was never as vicious and caustic to his "opponents" as was
Ali to his. The comparisons stopped there. It was all about show and
the entertainment. People knew it was a put-on and they participated
with him in the flamboyance, not jeering/deriding opponents as did
Ali.

Very early on in the venues of television, I and my neighborhood
friends enjoyed the antics of Gorgeous George when we gathered at a
home that had one of the few televisions to watch wrestling on those
then small screens.

Anything of comparison between Muhammad Ali and George Wagner is
really pure folly to cover the "antics" of a very rude Ali.

Just an opinion from observations of both men.

DCI

ps: I was pulling for Oregon for the Rose Bowl championship. :(